You Yuji went to the small, cramped room to bathe, and Si Que could faintly hear the sound of water.
He lay on the wooden bed, thinking about what You Yuji had just said.
A gentleman among gentlemen?
In his entire life, no one had ever described Si Que as a gentleman. In fact, he had never even been acknowledged as a “man.” And now, a woman he had just been rude to was sitting across from him, looking at him with gentle eyes, calling him a gentleman.
Si Que found it amusing and laughed.
Every guest room at Yunping Temple had a small washroom attached, so narrow it was barely enough to turn around in. You Yuji glanced again at the locked door latch before carefully stepping into the bath, letting the warm water envelop her body. The thin wooden boards were barely soundproof. She moved as slowly as an old woman, trying not to make any noise.
Bathing there, with the sound of water reaching Si Que outside, she couldn’t help but feel a bit embarrassed. But after being out in the wind and snow for so long, her body was still cold. For the sake of her health, she had no choice but to soak in the hot water to drive away the chill.
The warm water embraced You Yuji, and after a long time, her chilled body gradually recovered. She rested her forearms on the edge of the tub, her cheek resting on her arms, lost in thought.
She thought of “Ode to Yunling,” recalling every article, poem, and melody Si Que had ever written.
Before she truly knew Si Que, she first knew his poetry, articles, and melodies.
Back then, in her youthful years, she often danced to Si Que’s poems and songs. While twirling and dancing, she had wondered what kind of person could write such beautiful words.
Although her father was a military man, he also loved literature and learning. The You family did not hold the absurd notion that a woman’s virtue lay in her lack of talent. She sought out Si Que’s poetry and articles, reciting them one by one amidst the green grass, blue sky, and gentle breeze.
She could recite every line by heart.
Before she truly knew Si Que, she knew him through his writings and melodies.
You Yuji sighed silently.
She couldn’t help but think about the reason Si Que had dressed as a woman since childhood, and now he had become Chen Anzhi’s concubine. It made her sigh with emotion.
If she were to reveal his secret of cross-dressing, it would be a great trouble for him.
She couldn’t betray his trust.
Once her body was warmed, You Yuji stood up from the water, the droplets falling back into the tub with a soft splash. Listening to the water, she instinctively looked towards the door through the thin wooden boards.
She dried herself and repeatedly wiped her wet hair with a cotton towel. The small washroom was cramped and damp, so she should have dried her hair outside, but with Si Que out there, it was too inconvenient. She had to spend quite some time drying her hair in the small washroom. By the time she finished and stepped out, it was already very late.
The lamp on the small table between the two wooden beds was still burning, casting a light on Si Que’s sleeping face.
“Are you asleep?” You Yuji asked softly.
There was no response.
You Yuji tiptoed over and blew out the lamp, plunging the room into darkness. Her eyes adjusted for a moment, then she groped her way to the bed. She moved with small, deliberate motions, lying down on the side farthest from Si Que.
Her slender fingers clutched the quilt.
Even though she trusted Si Que, sharing a room with an unrelated man still made her uneasy.
You Yuji quickly fell asleep, unsure if it was because of the exhaustion from the snowy mountain or the sleep-inducing herbs Si Que had added to the hot water.
After she fell asleep, Si Que opened his eyes. He relit the candle and walked to the foot of You Yuji’s bed with the candlestick in hand. Placing the candlestick by her feet, he gently grasped her ankle and removed her white silk socks.
The dim candlelight fell on her delicate snow-white feet, with a slight redness on the outside of her little toe.
Si Que took out a box of ointment, carefully applying the colorless balm to the slightly red spot on her little toe.
“Sister, wearing wet shoes and socks for so long will cause frostbite.” Si Que smiled slowly, glancing at the sleeping You Yuji. His voice was soft and eerie, “Sister, I’m good to you, aren’t I?”
The candlelight flickered, casting a shadow on the small red mole on You Yuji’s ankle.
Si Que lowered his gaze, staring at it for a while.
The next day, the first thing You Yuji did upon waking was turn to look at Si Que—he was still asleep.
She quietly sat up, her gaze inadvertently falling on the candlestick on the small table. The candle was something she had blown out before bed last night. Yet now, the white candle seemed slightly shorter than when she had extinguished it.
You Yuji slowly shifted her gaze back to Si Que.
—
Prince Jinnan returned to the palace with His Majesty, while the princess consort and the others returned to the prince’s mansion.
The carriage stopped at the main gate of the prince’s mansion. You Yuji, supported by Lady Jing, alighted from the carriage and walked through the gate with the princess consort. Immediately, she saw Chen Anzhi and Fang Qingyi waiting by the screen wall.
“Mother, you’re back,” said Chen Anzhi.
You Yuji’s gaze fell on the hands clasped together by Chen Anzhi and Fang Qingyi.
—No more hiding, they were now openly together.
The princess consort’s face changed immediately. In front of so many servants, she pressed her lips together, suppressing her anger.
Fang Qingyi timidly took half a step back, hiding behind Chen Anzhi. This action clearly stirred Chen Anzhi’s protective instincts. He squeezed Fang Qingyi’s hand firmly and looked bravely at the Princess Consort, earnestly saying, “Mother, my cousin and I are deeply in love. I beg you to grant us your blessing.”
The Princess Consort took a deep breath and didn’t immediately respond to her son. Instead, she looked at Fang Qingyi and questioned, “Qingyi, you said last time that you knew your place. You said you didn’t want to be a concubine and that the day Anzhi married would be the day your relationship ended.”
This was the niece she had watched grow up, and even her name was chosen by her. Seeing Fang Qingyi so confused, the Princess Consort felt distressed.
Fang Qingyi kept her head down, tears falling one after another. She knew her reputation was damaged, but she had already lost her chastity to her cousin and could only try to minimize the loss.
The Princess Consort, frustrated by her niece’s actions, continued to question her, “You’re a pure and proper young lady. Do you want to become a lowly concubine?”
Lin Yingying, Cuiyu, and Chunxing approached from behind, having heard most of what was going on.
Cuiyu rolled her eyes slowly and then sarcastically remarked, “A proper young lady like the cousin cannot be a concubine. It’s inappropriate.”
Fang Qingyi glanced at Cuiyu, then lowered her head and bit her lip hard.
She felt desolate, thinking how she had fallen to this point, being mocked by a brothel girl. She had always held herself in high regard and never thought much of these women from the rouge alley.
Last year, she had been playing hard to get with her cousin, engaging in various intimate acts but resolutely guarding her final step. Soon after, she learned that her cousin had found two “confidants” in the brothels. She had secretly gone to see Lin Yingying and Cuiyu, finding them both dressed in white with elegant demeanors, adept at playing the zither, and both having the same almond-shaped eyes as her.
She thought these two prostitutes were replacements her cousin sought after failing to get her. Fang Qingyi’s anger subsided, and she even felt a bit smug.
She would never become a concubine and stand on equal footing with these lowly women!
Chen Anzhi spoke up for his cousin, “Mother, I want to marry my cousin as a secondary wife.”
Lin Yingying and Cuiyu exchanged a shocked look.
A secondary wife? That’s not proper and would invite much gossip.
“A secondary wife?” The Princess Consort was so angry she laughed. “Anzhi, do you know what you’re saying?”
“I know very well what I’m saying, Mother. Please grant my wish!” Chen Anzhi lifted his robes and knelt down directly.
His cousin was pregnant with his child. Chen Anzhi didn’t want her to suffer, nor did he want the child to be born illegitimate, and he didn’t dare to defy the imperial edict for marriage. So, he thought of making her a secondary wife. However, he was unwilling to publicly announce Fang Qingyi’s pregnancy, as it would be a great stain on her purity.
Lin Yingying and Cuiyu exchanged glances, thinking that the young master was forcing the Princess Consort to agree. They couldn’t help but sneak a peek at You Yuji’s expression, only to find no discernible emotion on her face.
You Yuji, with an indifferent expression, looked at Chen Anzhi kneeling on the ground—her husband.
He didn’t inquire about the assassination, didn’t care that his wives almost lost their lives, and didn’t care about the reputation of the royal mansion. He couldn’t distinguish right from wrong and was utterly foolish.
This was the person she was tied to for life?
For the second time, You Yuji wavered.
She turned her head and spoke gently, “Princess Consort, I wonder when Physician Hu will visit to treat my mother. I should go back early to wait for him.”
The princess nodded and said, “You may go.”
You Yuji slightly bent her knees in a curtsy, did not look at Chen Anzhi again, and returned to Tanxiang Yingyue to change clothes.
The princess furrowed her brow, her head pounding painfully, nearly unable to stand. She held onto Gu Momo’s hand weakly and said, “Help me back.”
Only then did Chen Anzhi notice his mother’s poor complexion. He hurriedly stood up to support her, but the princess pushed him away with disgust. He stood there, stunned, recalling his mother’s gentle tone when she spoke to You Yuji earlier. Did You Yuji say something at the temple yesterday that caused his mother to misunderstand his cousin? Thinking of this, he reassured Fang Qingyi, “You should go back and rest. I will take care of everything.”
Fang Qingyi felt humiliated in front of so many people and forced herself to look at her cousin with loving eyes, nodding with tears in her eyes.
Chen Anzhi hurriedly went to Tanxiang Yingyue.
Cuiyu still wanted to mock Fang Qingyi but remembered that this cousin might be promoted to the status of a wife, so she reluctantly swallowed her words and hoped viciously in her heart, “It would be better if she remained a concubine!”
At this time, Si Que had just gotten out of the carriage. He had already put on the cotton robe sent by Liufeng, held a hand warmer with his slender fingers, and wore a wind-shielding hat as he walked slowly into the mansion.
Fang Qingyi was about to leave when she saw Si Que frown.
She was still bothered by this woman her cousin had brought back with so much fanfare. She thought to herself that once she became the mistress of the house, she would never tolerate this pretentious woman.
Cuiyu noticed Fang Qingyi looking at Si Que and didn’t know what she was thinking. She laughed and happily pulled Lin Yingying away.
When Chen Anzhi rushed to Tanxiang Yingyue, You Yuji was changing clothes inside, and Baohe, with a stern face, blocked his way.
Chen Anzhi was anxious.
His cousin was pregnant, and the only way to hide her premarital disgrace was to marry her quickly.
You Yuji came out after changing clothes, and Chen Anzhi hurriedly approached, blocking the door. The first thing he said to You Yuji was, “My cousin is innocent; it was all her mother’s idea. She knows nothing!”
You Yuji couldn’t understand how someone could be so foolish.
“The Emperor graciously allowed Imperial Physician Hu to treat my mother. I need to go home now. Please step aside, Young Master.”
“You Yuji!” Chen Anzhi shouted, “Don’t you understand the gravity of the situation?”
The gravity of the situation? Of course, You Yuji knew. In her heart, nothing was more important than her mother’s safety.
“Please step aside, Young Master,” You Yuji repeated.
Chen Anzhi, exasperated, said, “The Emperor just sent someone to go through the motions. Do you really think your terminally ill mother can be saved?”
You Yuji was stunned for a moment before realizing what Chen Anzhi had said. Seeing his face up close, she slapped him hard.
The slap echoed loudly, leaving everyone in shock.
Chen Anzhi remained in the position of having been slapped for a while, then glared at You Yuji in disbelief, “How dare you hit me?”
What had he just said?
You Yuji finally realized that this person was cursing her mother.
She raised her hand and slapped him again.
After being slapped twice in quick succession, Chen Anzhi was furious. “Are you crazy? Did I say something wrong? Your mother is barely holding on. If she survives until tomorrow, it would be a miracle!”
“You!” You Yuji’s voice trembled, “Bring me my bow and arrows!”
